4 minute read
VIRGINIA
Virginia Loggers Association
Ron Jenkins, Executive Director, Virginia Loggers Association
Leadership is a central role in every activity we know about in life. Virginia Loggers Association has been blessed with great leaders since its creation in 2002. Our leadership was built upon the idea that hard work and strong ethics were keys to success. VLA is very fortunate to have been led by excellent leaders 20 years ago and today! In 2002, the first President had to find a way to ensure loggers were represented and had a way to express their interests, concerns, and solutions.
Today is no different. VLA still faces challenges but as an officially created trade association. Frank Myers has been our president since 2020 and he actively advocates for the forest products industry and strong businesses. Frank is the perfect VLA leader to build the next platform of achievement with Bill Dine, the new President &CEO with FMIC. Bill attended the VLA Board meeting in Williamsburg, VA and our 2022 annual conference. Bill spoke optimistically about the future relationship between state logging associations and FMIC.
Leaders from each organization have moved the industry to reach inspirational level goals over the last several decades, and our leaders today will do the same. We believe that each organization aspires to a vision that includes many of the same attributes. Both want to achieve notable accomplishments for their members and policyholders. Both want to achieve a reputation for excellence and a touch of class along their pathway to the future. And among many other things, both must earn the respect that comes with the highest ethics and advocacy of their constituents.
Forestry Mutual Insurance just celebrated its 50th year anniversary and VLA its 20th anniversary. Each organization has great people who dedicate time and talent to ensure each is prepared to seize the next right moment of opportunity. Speaking only on behalf of VLA’s timeline leaders from its beginning in 2002 have examined their past and present, looked far into their future, and wisely chose their next goals and course. We imagine that every state trade association has done the same.
VLA set its bylaws and mission around members of Virginia’s logging community. We encouraged safety, professionalism, ethics, environmental care, probusiness governing leadership, and helping others. Despite a few bumps along the way, VLA has grown and is proud to say its membership is still primarily loggers but also contains significant support by wood mills, banking, equipment, insurance, business services, private individuals, consultant foresters, university, state, and legal counsel membership. This diversity of membership has helped VLA to grow stronger and become more respected in the forest products community.
Forestry Mutual Insurance and VLA have grown in respect, strength, and mutual support. Markets and competition for business is keen these days, so market share taking some of our membership base that historically came from the Forestry Mutual relationship with VLA. However, VLA sees this as normal business cycle volatility. VLA builds and maintains good relationships with its members and other businesses. We work tirelessly to build value with our members, so they see that VLA is a good investment and worth every penny whether Forestry Mutual pays their membership dues or they do.
Despite a normal amount of market volatility, we see a healthy and robust future. The economy will improve, and we believe Virginia will continue to hold a prominent place in its economy. Now forest products rank as the third largest industry in Virginia behind agriculture & tourism.
We believe Bill and Frank will display great wisdom and make wise choices to help both organizations. VLA and Forestry Mutual Insurance have built solid platforms and many now depend upon them to be the advocates for their businesses. We are confident that we will build even stronger ties with each other!
